'Blues is a tonic for whatever ails you. I could play the blues and then not be blue anymore.' - B. B. King.

'If you don't know the blues… there's no point in picking up the guitar and playing rock and roll or any other form of popular music.' - Keith Richards.

WELCOME to the latest instalment of our 'Adventures in UK Club Land' exploring the 'Club Beat' - the roots of R&B, Ska, Gospel, Jazz, Soul, Mod and, in this chapter, BLUES.

THE BLUES evolved in the late eighteen hundreds from a melting pot of homespun black music performed to small audiences across the American South. It wasn't until the 1920s, after the migration to cities such as Chicago that the genre was christened the Blues, a term initiated by the record industry, designed to appeal to a black audience.

The blues continues to evolve today and, like its original counterparts, gospel, jazz and R&B, it plays a leading role in popular music, the roots of which can be heard in our unique 25-track compilation.